Medicare Plan Leaving Ferry County, WA: What to Do

Ferry County is small enough that the Medicare numbers read like a head count. In July 2026, CMS counted 2,514 people with Medicare in the whole county. Of those, 684 were in Medicare Advantage and other health plans, and 1,830 were on Original Medicare. If your Medicare Advantage plan has told you it won't cover Ferry County after December 31, 2026, you're one of a few hundred people at most making this decision, in a county of 7,350 that runs from the Canadian border down through the Colville Reservation.

The county in a few lines

Population (OFM, April 1, 2026): 7,350
Residents 65 and older (OFM, April 2025): 2,470, about 34% of the county
People with Medicare (CMS, July 2026): 2,514
Original Medicare: 1,830 (72.8%)
Medicare Advantage and other health plans: 684 (27.2%)
Dual-eligible, Medicare plus Apple Health: 494 (19.6%); 251 full, 243 partial
On Medicare because of a disability: 230
Stand-alone Part D plan / Part D through Medicare Advantage: 1,127 / 622
Land area: about 2,203 square miles

Sources: WA OFM; CMS Medicare Monthly Enrollment, July 2026 (counts are people, not plans); U.S. Census 2025 Gazetteer. Percentages computed.

A third of the county is 65 or older. Nearly one in five people on Medicare also has Apple Health; statewide it's about 15%. And stand-alone drug plans outnumber Medicare Advantage drug coverage almost two to one. Put together: whichever way you go, the drug plan is your biggest homework.

Why I'd start with the pharmacy

Ferry County Health, the public hospital district, runs Ferry County Memorial Hospital (a critical access hospital in Republic), clinics in Republic and Curlew, and the Republic Drug Store. In a rural county, the pharmacy you can realistically reach may be the one in your own town, and a drug plan that treats that pharmacy poorly is a real problem when the next one may be a long drive away.

So before you choose any 2027 coverage, whether a new Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage or a stand-alone Part D plan alongside Original Medicare, enter your exact prescriptions and your pharmacy in Medicare Plan Finder. Or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), open around the clock except some federal holidays, and have them run it with you. Whatever plan you land on, federal rules set two ceilings for 2027: the deductible can't exceed $700, and out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs is capped at $2,400.

The doctor side matters too. Original Medicare works with any provider that accepts Medicare, including hospitals outside the county such as those in Colville and Chewelah in Stevens County or in Tonasket and Omak in Okanogan County. A Medicare Advantage plan may limit non-emergency care to its network, so check each provider you use by name.

If you have Apple Health or Extra Help

With 494 dual-eligible residents, this section applies to a lot of Ferry County readers.

Drug coverage won't simply vanish. CMS moves Extra Help members out of an ending Medicare Advantage plan and into a stand-alone drug plan, unless they've already got 2027 drug coverage. If the plan CMS picks doesn't suit your prescriptions, pick another.
You can change drug plans monthly. Medicaid or Extra Help lets you change stand-alone drug plans once per calendar month, with the new plan taking over the following month.
Full Apple Health opens one more option: an integrated plan for dual-eligibles (the state's name for it is Apple Health Medicare Connect), open to join monthly in areas where one operates.
A safety net exists for gaps. Medicare's LI NET program gives temporary drug coverage to people who qualify for Extra Help or Medicaid but aren't yet in a drug plan.

Not on either program but struggling with costs? Apply for a Medicare Savings Program. HCA says there's no asset test, and qualifying makes you eligible for Extra Help automatically.

One more wrinkle worth checking: if the plan that's leaving was your first Medicare Advantage plan and you joined it within the past 12 months, you may have a federal "trial right" that adds Medigap options. It depends on your enrollment history, so ask SHIBA or 1-800-MEDICARE to check it against your record before you assume either way.

The deadlines that apply to everyone

Your plan covers you through December 31, 2026. Choose new coverage by that date and it starts January 1, 2027. A non-renewed plan also earns you extra time: a window that opens December 8 and stays open until the last day of February 2027. The catch is the start date. Sign up in January and you're covered from February 1; sign up in February and it's March 1.

Do nothing, and January 1 puts you in Original Medicare with Parts A and B and no drug plan (Extra Help members excepted, as above). Let a drug-coverage gap stretch past 63 days and Medicare can add a late penalty to your Part D premium for as long as you have Medicare drug coverage.

Moving to Original Medicare also triggers a Washington guaranteed issue right to buy a Medigap policy without health questions (RCW 48.66.055). OIC wants applications sent November 1 or later; the right expires March 4, 2027. Keep your plan's letter and its envelope as proof. If you're under 65, OIC notes your Medigap options are more limited, so ask SHIBA first. The statewide guide has the plan letters and fine print.

Help in and around Republic

Rural Resources Community Action is the SHIBA sponsor for Ferry County, with its main office in Colville, and its SHIBA program lists Republic among its locations. On October 26, 2026, OIC's local SHIBA listing for it said: "Currently not accepting appointments. For assistance, call Medicare at 1-800-633-4227." SHIBA's statewide number still appeared: 800-562-6900, staffed weekdays from 8:30 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon, and the counseling costs nothing.

Rural Resources also runs the county's Aging and Disability Resource Connection at 600 S Clark Ave. in Republic (509-775-0912) and, according to its transportation page, volunteer driver programs for critical appointments across Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties, a region of over 6,200 square miles. Ferry County's Area Agency on Aging is Aging & Long Term Care of Eastern Washington, based in Spokane. DSHS's contact list also includes the Colville Indian Area Agency on Aging in Nespelem.

Federal Medicare rules and Washington law control everything summarized here, and the notices your plan mailed you set the dates for your case; confirm with 1-800-MEDICARE, a licensed agent or SHIBA before making a switch.

Ferry County questions

How many people in Ferry County are in Medicare Advantage and other health plans?

CMS counted 684 Ferry County residents in Medicare Advantage and other health plans in July 2026, out of 2,514 people with Medicare. The other 1,830 were on Original Medicare.

Is there a hospital in Ferry County?

Yes. Washington's Department of Health lists Ferry County Memorial Hospital in Republic, a critical access hospital run by the public hospital district, which also operates clinics in Republic and Curlew and the Republic Drug Store.

I have Apple Health and my plan is ending. Will I lose my drug coverage?

Extra Help members whose Medicare Advantage plan ends are placed in a stand-alone drug plan by CMS, unless 2027 drug coverage is already arranged. Medicaid or Extra Help also lets you swap stand-alone drug plans monthly.

Can I get a ride to a new doctor from Ferry County?

Rural Resources Community Action says it runs volunteer driver programs for critical appointments in Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties. Its Republic office is at 600 S Clark Ave. (509-775-0912).

Your Medicare Plan Is Leaving Ferry County